Six decades of wedded bliss
A MEREBANK couple, who celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last month, say no argument is too big to keep them away from each other.
“Even when we fight, I can’t stay without her,” said 85-year-old Dorasamy Muniyen as his wife, Sobuigum, 82, nodded her head in agreement.
The couple sat in the lounge of their Barrackpur Road home and lovingly held hands, while they spoke about how they met and eventually tied the knot on June 9, 1957.
Every now and again Dorasamy teases Sobuigum by calling her “madam”.
“She had visited her family in Dayal Road, in Clairwood, and was accompanied by her cousin Luxmi Govender,” recalled Dorasamy, who had lived on the same property.
“I thought she was beautiful and later that day asked her cousin, Luxmi, about her.”
Dorasamy said they were introduced and started getting to know one another.
His family, who had also caught sight of Sobuigum, liked what they saw and a few days later asked her parents permission to marry their son.
The couple got engaged in 1954, a few months after meeting.
During their engagement, Dorasamy used to visit his lady love at least once a week and took along flowers and chocolates.
“We could talk for hours and never ran out of things to say to one another. Don’t ask me where the time went,” he smiled.
“I knew she was the one for me. Up to today, we still sit and talk like that.”
The couple married three years later under a marquee erected outside the groom’s new home in Barrier Lane behind the Clairwood Racecourse.
The 22-year-old bride wore a lemon coloured sari with white and yellow flowers in her hair, while her dashing 25-year-old groom wore a blue suit.
About 100 guests witnessed the traditional Tamil ceremony and dined on potato curry served with rice, dhal, salad and soji, while listening to the music of Ranjini Orchestra, the famous band for which Dorasamy played.
The couple later moved to Merebank, where they went on to raise their two sons, Ronnie and Dean.
Dorasamy worked hard as a machine operator at Nampak in Mobeni, while Sobuigum remained a housewife. The couple, who have four grandchildren and two great grandchildren, enjoy watching Indian television serials.
They celebrated their diamond anniversary with a supper and a night out at Suncoast Casino.
“We celebrated our 50th in grand style. We invited a lot of people home and we didn’t expect to do much this time but we were taken out and it meant a lot to us, especially for our children to remember our special day and make our day special.”
Sobuigum added: “The secret to a happy marriage is to have love, respect and be honest and loving with one another through thick and thin.”